Thursday, February 23, 2012

The right to bear Canons

Jim Heffernan, formerly of the Duluth News Tribune editorial staff, wrote a great letter that was titled "Obama isn't coming after your guns".  Unfortunately, none of the letters for 2012-02-21 were posted online, and so I can't give those of you outside Duluth a link to Jim's letter.  [Update: Jim's letter is at http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/223784/]

Although Wayne LaPierre, executive vice-president of the National Rifle Association, backed off from any claim that President Obama has tried "to take guns away" in his first term, LaPierre stated, "he's hiding his true intentions to destroy the Second Amendment in his second term." ["At CPAC, Defeating Obama Trumps Fight for Nomination", New York Times, Erik Eckholm, 2012-02-11.]  Jim wrote that LaPierre "doesn't have a clue" about Obama's intentions.  Jim countered that he knows "very well that LaPierre and the NRA soon will arm every student in Columbine High School in Colorado with an assault rifle."  Jim adds that of course he doesn't know that, but he wouldn't be surprised.

In an email exchange with Jim, I wrote, "the right to bear cameras should be the same as the right to bear cannons. (Or the right to bear a Canon or a cannon.)"  See "Constitution, Rights, and secretive Congress".